The Ideal Lover Summary and Analysis

Here the author first presents a more androgynous archetype. The Ideal Lover is the seducer who finds out what the other needs and fulfills those needs. Here again, the book's writer reveals the ironic nature of the entire text. Where is the distinction between genuine love and excellent, permanent seduction?

Madame Pompadour is the main figure in this chapter. She was a fantastic woman in her own right, despite living in an age where a woman could not necessarily get anywhere on her own. However, since the truth is that men do not get far going it alone either, this is not so bad as it seems.

Despite her modest middle-class background and perhaps because neither of her parents were 'monogamous' (nor was she), her relationship skills were rather advanced. She became the favorite mistress of a...